71 Mauser Bear

[BlackPowderLove]

Took a bear with the 1871 Mauser stalking rifle yesterday. It is truly a surgical sledgehammer. It is not a disappointment

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[doghawg]

Congratulations! We need more info. Bullet weight and range, etc.

[Kosh75287]

Nice job! 385 grains at 1440 f/s? I'll bet it DOES hit like a sledgehammer!

[BlackPowderLove]

Custom mold from Accurate Molds. .450 in app. 400 gr. with 70gr. of 1.5F OE. Brass are reformed from 45-90. Range was a close 15 yards to get the clear shot in the tree, running hounds.

[Tripplebeards]

Looks like a great eater bear! In my book a bear is bear no matter how big or small this late in the game. You have to pumped that you got it done! First bear or are you a veteran bear hunter? Nice job and great looking rifle...and you squeaked filling your tag in the nick of time! Season has to be drawing to a close here in WI pretty quick. Did you hire a Hounds-man or do you run you own dogs? I have to figure out when I want to use my 10 preference points I’ve been saving up. I’ve always hunted a/a1 but I believe they reasoned it a few years back. Last bear I had I made a roast on the grille at work. I turned our medium rare. Best bear meat I ever ate! My workers inhaled it. Thanks for posting! Bear hunting just gets me way to excited.

[white eagle]

Very nice bear
of all the hunting I have done I believe that bear hunting has to be the best hunt
meat is delicious
Tom does very good work does't he?
congrats

[swheeler]

Nice bear and love that 71 mauser stalking rifle!:drinks:

[RugerFan]

Wow nice! Great job!

[444ttd]

very nice!!!!!!!!!!

[smithnframe]

Very nice!

[BlackPowderLove]

This is my third bear. Not a "veteran" bear hunter but also not a first timer. It was boar and dressed out at 200.5 lbs. Definitely a good eater and already have it cut up in the freezer... other than the heart, which my daughters and I had for lunch yesterday. I actually started on bait and sat 11 evenings with a homemade crossbow (medieval) but only was seeing sows with cubs (and an elk and a wolf). I was pretty much out of time (and out of my family's patience) so was going to eat my tag, but last minute I had an opportunity to go out with hounds because of a friend and some guys he knew. It was a good morning and a good run of the hounds.

[Geezer in NH]

Well done! Congrats, thanks for sharing! :drinks:

[Shawlerbrook]

Congratulations !!!

[45stomp]

Nicely done.
Cheers,
Stomp

[sharps4590]

Godd bear BPL!! Congratulations...and I am a bit envious. I can't imagine a better way to hunt bear than behind dogs. Now, that rifle. Being a long time German sporting firearm aficionado...it is stunning! Details of the rifle? I'm surprised at the lack of set triggers. Given your data it has to be an 11.15 X 60R? It is a very underrated and sadly, fairly unknown cartridge. My E. Goldmann double rifle in that cartridge will be accompanying me opening morning of deer season next month.

[BlackPowderLove]

Godd bear BPL!! Congratulations...and I am a bit envious. I can't imagine a better way to hunt bear than behind dogs. Now, that rifle. Being a long time German sporting firearm aficionado...it is stunning! Details of the rifle? I'm surprised at the lack of set triggers. Given your data it has to be an 11.15 X 60R? It is a very underrated and sadly, fairly unknown cartridge. My E. Goldmann double rifle in that cartridge will be accompanying me opening morning of deer season next month.

I would love double set triggers but that was a bit beyond my ability. This rifle started in my hands almost 2 years ago as a full military, IG71. I took it on as a project (having never done anything like this before) and decided to 1.) create ammo for it, 2.) make it shoot, and 3.) rebuild it into a sporting/stalking rifle. I had a lot of fun and it is a fine shooting rifle!

[Tripplebeards]

This is my third bear. Not a "veteran" bear hunter but also not a first timer. It was boar and dressed out at 200.5 lbs. Definitely a good eater and already have it cut up in the freezer... other than the heart, which my daughters and I had for lunch yesterday. I actually started on bait and sat 11 evenings with a homemade crossbow (medieval) but only was seeing sows with cubs (and an elk and a wolf). I was pretty much out of time (and out of my family's patience) so was going to eat my tag, but last minute I had an opportunity to go out with hounds because of a friend and some guys he knew. It was a good morning and a good run of the hounds.

I’d rather eat bear then the tag any day. It takes to long to get drawn not to fill it. I’ve harvested three myself. I thought I shot BooBoo the last time I was drawn. I sat for almost two weeks in the Rib Lake area and shot the first bear I saw right at last light. I thought it was a 100 pound bear till I walked up on the 7’2” 350 pound boar. I got lucky. Post a pic of that crossbow! I took a 7’ 6” boar with a 19 & 3/16” skull in Canada with a crossbow in 97’. Used a Horton XS and gator 100 expandables. Looked like I threw a machete at it. Four inch plus entrance and exit hole. Zero blood trail and a 150 yard frustrating tracking job. My guide basically walked down the trail it headed away on and found it with a huge piece of broken log it bit down on and clamped in its mouth. I drilled the bear just above the heart broadside. I took my first WI bear in Winter using dogs the day after 9/11.

[skeettx]

AWESOME!!
Thank you for sharing

[Markopolo]

wooooooo freaking Hoooooo !!! great looking bear and awesome way to hunt.. get another next year!!! plus, your bears gotta be nice and fat, with no salmon residue!!! i only wish... lots of good used for bear fat!!!! way to go.. and nice bear gun!!!

[smoked turkey]

BlackPowderLove: Everything about this hunt is totally awesome. From the comments I can see that your stalking rifle is front and center. Oh yes nice bear too! Ha. Just like us gun people to make notice the very fine rifle you built. I have taken one black bear. Mine was a spring bear that had not been out of the den too long. So the bear meat was fantastic. Mine was taken in New Brunswick about 150-200 miles north of Bangor Maine. Compared to your rifle and load of black powder mine was just so-so. It was a Ruger M77 in 35 Whelen using a 3589 boolit weighing about 300 grains. I want to say how fantastic your bear and rifle are. Please say the caliber and I would love to see a picture of the cartridge if it is not too much trouble. Thanks for sharing.

[Jniedbalski]

Nice bear. The first bear I ever seen was around July 7 this year coming back from cherry point in South Carolina. We visited my son at the marine base there.We where going back to Missouri and in the mountains in Tennessee . We just crossed over from South Carolina. Where some how got off the main highway and got on a narrow two lane very curvy road. We where going about 25 mph and I had to slow down. The bear just walked in front of us kind of stared at us for a second or two and just slowly walked into the woods. I have never seen one in Missouri. I have heard of little black bears around but never seen on in the wild. It was very exciting for us

[richhodg66]

I love posts like this, the vintage stuff is so much more fun and interesting. I don't know much about black bears, but that looks like a nice one to me.

[JDL]

Congratulations on a nice bear and great rifle! You did some fine work on your rifle. Did you carve the stock yourself or have it done?

[BlackPowderLove]

Congratulations on a nice bear and great rifle! You did some fine work on your rifle. Did you carve the stock yourself or have it done?

I did the carving. Here is the original post from when I finished it. http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?387287-1871-Mauser-rebuild-Alpine-Stalking-Rifle

[missionary5155]

Good morning and Congratulations !
Well done ! I would have popped that bear also!
Handsome rifle ! Build it and use it! Hard to beat a soft 400 grain slug chugging along about 1350 fps.

[missionary5155]

I just re-read the last year build and it still is a handsome rifle that now has a proud past to be added to.

[Eddie Southgate]

Very nice , congratulations .

[koger]

Outstanding job, great bear and shot, danged nice looking rifle, thanks for sharing.